“It inspired me, but it broke my heart that 12-year-olds have to raise money for their friend’s funeral,” said Neal, who lives near the school and had met some of Jose’s friends. “At that age, they shouldn’t have to deal with that.”

Here’s another “shouldn’t.”

A 19-year-old man was beaten and robbed Thursday for the small bills and spare change in the collection box he held out for Jose in the 100 block of Pacific Coast Highway.

These footnotes to the March 16 tragedy do not change the facts: Jose’s family needs help.

They’re poor.

Robbers made off with money intended to help them.

While police arrested two suspects and reportedly recovered the lost collection box and the funds, Neal points out “funerals are expensive. I know she’ll (Jose’s mother) need it for other expenses.”

Neal is trying to help from her corner of town, the Facilities Department at Long Beach City College.

The administrative assistant said she is indebted to the community, which assisted her family during a tough time.

“My husband was in a car accident three years ago and broke his neck,” said Neal, a mother of two.

“People were very generous with us.”

Pat Hicks, coordinator for LBCC’s Viking Volunteers, is an experienced fundraiser who is helping with the cause.

She led one of the efforts to raise money when Ranger, a beloved police dog, was shot and killed in 2005.

Hicks said she is stepping up for Jose’s family because of the boy’s young age.

“An 11-year-old kid should not be in the morgue,” she said. “He should be out playing, riding his bicycle, his skateboard. It’s just one of the things that human beings do for each other.”

Here’s how to help: Write a check to the “Jose Luis Garcia Bailey Fund.”